The New York Timesreports that, according to the Department of Agriculture, 20,000 farms in the Northeast alone are run by women. Not only that, but: “There are 80 percent more women who are farmers than there were 20 years ago in the United States, even as the number of farms has decreased.” These statistics surprised me, but in the best way possible! Moving out of the city to work on a farm is a far-fetched fantasy of mine; I’d have so much to learn, not the least of which is learning to hate living in New York, and I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Farmers like Barbara Shinn, Diane St. Clair (who owns Animal Farm in Orwell, VT — har, har!), and Nova Kim (pictured), among others featured in the article, all happily engage in sustainable, organic and biodynamic practices, which they’re refining all the time. Most of these farmers sell to food co-ops, farmers’ markets and CSAs. These women are doing amazing things right here in the Northeast, and to say I look up to them would be an understatement!